1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is an improvement in the flip top dispenser box disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 which issued to the applicant on Nov. 28, 1978, entitled "FLIP TOP DISPENSER BOX", and assigned to the assignee of the subject application. U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 is incorporated herein by reference. The subject invention discloses an end seal flip top dispenser box, and more particularly, a box designed to contain a roll of sheet material, such as chemically impregnated sheet material, which is used to dispense portions of the sheet after the box seal is broken. The subject invention provides a flip top dispenser box of improved structural integrity which is particularly important when the roll of sheet material within the carton is relatively heavy, and thus the box must be of greater strength along the lines of weakness during the initial shipping and storage of the box when in its sealed condition, prior to being opened by the consumer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cartons or boxes which are adapted to contain and dispense sheets of material from a roll housed within the box are usually equipped with a cutting member, such as a strip of metal having a serrated edge over which the sheet may be drawn for cutting the sheet to a desired length. Exemplary patents illustrating such cartons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,128,025; 3,137,424; 3,531,032; 3,722,767; and 3,777,957.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,032, in lieu of a separate tear strip which obviously increases manufacturing costs, the cover of the dispensing carton is connected to the side walls by weakened lines of separation when the box blank is formed. Hence, the cover seals the contents of the box, but when raised, the cover separates from the side walls to break the seal. Such a construction results in the elimination of the tear strip, and the carton is filled from the side and flaps forming the side wall are then sealed to enclose the contents.
The flip top dispenser box disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 also does not utilize an undesirable tear strip seal. Furthermore, the flip top construction of U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 is provided such that a portion of the front wall and the side walls of the box remain connected to the cover after the seal is broken. The improved flip top dispenser box of U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 is efficient for sealing the contents of the carton during shipping and storage, and is efficient in enabling the consumer to readily gain access to the contents of the box by merely rotating the cover of the box to sever the lines of weakness. In the flip top dispenser box of U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,229 the cover is formed with panel portion that is removable with the cover when the latter is opened, with said panel portion extending into side flaps and connected thereto by weakened lines of separation which primarily consist of perforations which are in the side flaps and aligned with the cut line defining said panel portion. It would be of significant advantage to enhance the structural integrity of the dispenser box along the lines of weakenss especially when a relatively heavy roll of sheet material is contained within the box, and such an advantage is an object of the present invention. It would also be of significant advantage to provide new and improved lines of weakness which, after severing, define clean severance lines, yet provide improved structural strength of the closure of the box, and such an advantage is another object of the subject invention.